Apparatus for loading and unloading laminating presses



Oct. 20, 1953 Y F. SAMLER 2,656,048

APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING LAMINATING PRESSES Filed June 22. 1951 2 Shcets-Sheet 1 1 'INVENTOR BY .i ar/ a). Floc/(S A1 IORNEY L. F. SAMLER Oct. 20, 1953 APPARATUS FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING LAMINATING PRESSES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1951 I NVENTIOR N v m BY l or/ M77006;

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 20, 1953 APPARATUS FOR. LOADING A D UNLOADING .LAMIINATINGPEESSES...

ne a a. s ri l; ew

tlonal v 1 r1 9 e rlis i n J11 4 Qls ae- Q iii- Th invention relates to material handling methods and apparatus, and more particularly to a method for loading and unloading a press and apparatus for accomplishing the same.

Laminated sheet material is manufactured by subjecting layers of paper, cardboard or fabric impregnated with phenolic. melamine and other resins to high pressure and temperature. It is common to employ presses for this purpose which h l o, a plurality of platens arranged in tiers so that as many laminated sheets may be simultaneously produced as there are spaces between platens in the press. For most purposes it is essential that at least one surface of the. finished lamination be perfectly smooth and l s y i appearance. Tov obtain this. finish, the impregnated layers of paper or fabric are arranged on highly polished thin plates of metal and placed between the platens of the press.

It is the present practice to load the platens of the press with impregnated layers of paper .or fabric on metal plates by hand. Great difficulties are experienced because of the tendency of the layers during handling to shift in position relative to each other and relative to the metal plate. The layers and plates must also be carefully positioned on the platens at the expense of considerable time and physical effort,

The manual unloading of a press is particularly onerous and time consuming by reason of the hot condition of the finished laminations in addition to the continuous hot condition of thepress itself. lI-Ieavy asbestos gloves'must be worn by the workmen and frequent injury to the finished laminations result from the difiiculty of handling them. The manual method of loading and unloading a press takes an inordinate'amount of time and seriously limits the productivity of a plant involving a large capital investment and consequent high overhead charge. It isftherefore, the general object of this invention to provide' apowered mechanical apparatus for loading and unloading a press.

It is another object to provide a relatively low cost apparatus which is particularly adapted for high-speed loading and unloading of a press ha-vmg a plurality of platens arranged tiers.

It is a further object to provide'a press loading" apparatus operative toaccurately position layers and metal sheets on the platens "ofthe p it is a further object to provide a method for simultaneously loading and unloading 'the' platens .qfg g f. l. l

' *It'is afurther object to provide press loading 'ov r he uide rol er. an'd'a ha ed' pk u e th loadin nd unloading ap aratu ada d to ously. load and unload the platens of a It is a furthe objec t prov de a nov i ad pull plate for use in pressing resin-impre laminated sheets.

It is a further objcfit to leasable linkage arm $01. use in imulta onsly loading. and unloading a multi-platen It is a further obj ct to ovide p ins and unloading a para us which is A t control and may be opera ed by unsk l ed Workmen.

It is a furt e ob ect to ro ide an, appa atu which is relatively inexpens re o install endoperate.

In pursuance of these nd other objects whic ill be appar nt t those sk l ed in the. a1 ,a loading elevator is pro ded n o e si e h p ss, an unloa in elev te e Qtli d 9f the press and winch means on the side of the unloading elevator. op os te rp t e p Winch means includes a d-r mja gu'i Wi ch cable encase wit e rl in that er, a

l 9 the free. end o the a le T 1 1911 818 W is receptive to a sand ch a k i a laye s nd met plate p o i e Wit e e evator is succcdj tinned so press. A ter the pre s has nce b n l aded nd th pressure applied, the unlo d ng nd l adins' elevators are successively positioned so that the Y hapcd link ma he e a ed i h. th ears the metal plates on. t e P s aten and anothe set of readily re easab e linkage arms' av b hc ed between th e rs of the has o he platen and t e ears. o 11 9! pl t on the ns elevato Thus wh n the wat rw with rawn from the res fr h l ad i s ta eously loaded n o he pr ss- Other objects and the nature and advantages of the in ant invention w ll appa ent fro the following descr en taken in con the accompany n drawin s wher i ure lis a side elev tion p th en re arear s ustratin th s mu taneou p ss ni ing and loadin o rati n- Rig. 2 is a top plan v ew of the a ps Fig- 3 is a potter-n plan view or arm. Fig. 4 is a section of the linka e lo tiguous surface of the lamination.

the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing the linkage arm attached to the ears of the plates.

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the metal plate.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, a hydraulic press, generally designated in, is mounted on a suitable foundation H and includes a base l2, vertical guide members l3, a plurality of platens l4 arranged in vertical tiers and a vertically reciprocable ram l5. A loading elevator generally designated |i including an elevator platform 13 is mounted for vertical reciprocation on a pair of pistons l9. The loading elevator platform It is provided with a table l6 receptive to a sandwich stack of alternately arranged resin impregnated layers 29 of paper or fabric and polished metal plates 2|. The upper side 22 of each metal plate 2| is highly polished to insure a smooth finish on the con- As shown to advantage in Fig. '7, the metal plates 2! are provided with side walls at opposite ends thereof, each side wall having offset ears 23 extending outwardly therefrom. Each car 23 is provided with spaced apart apertures 24 and 25 for reasons which will be hereinafter set forth. An unloading elevator, generally designated 26, having a platform 21 is mounted for vertical reciprocation on a pair of pistons 28. The unloading elevator 26 is located beside the press I6 on the side opposite the loading elevator Like the loading elevator H, the unloading elevator 26 is receptive to a table 28' adapted to receive the stack of pressed laminates. The elevators El and 26 may be of any conventional type having control means for moving the platform to any desired level.

Winch means generally designated 29 is mounted on the unloading elevator platform 21 on the side opposite from the press It]. Thus the winch means is adapted to travel with the unloading elevator and is always in aproximately correct alignment. The winch means 29 includes a cable drum 39, idler pulley 3|, and a guide roller or pulley 32. Means not shown are provided for making minor adjustments in the height of guide pulley 32 from the platform 2'7. Alternatively, a plurality of guide pulleys 32 can be provided. The winch means 29 also includes a winch cable or rope 33 looped around the winch drum 39, trained around idler pulley 3| and over the guide pulley 32. The end of the cable or rope 33 is engaged with a hook 34.

As shown in Fig. 2, the hook 34 is engaged with the apertured leg 3'5 of a Y-shaped (or V-shaped) link 36. The ends of the arms 31 and 38 of the link 36 are provided with hook pins 39 and 49 adapted to enter the apertures 24 and 25 in the ears 23 of metal plates 2|. Link 36 is employed for unloading the lamination-carrying metal plates 2| from the press onto the unloading elevator 26.

It is apparent that the elements of apparatus are so arranged that the winch cable or rope 33 is on the common center line of the unloading elevator 26, the press It and the loading elevator ll. It is also apparent that, by the use of Y-shaped link 36, the lamination-carrying metal plates 2| may be drawn by the winch means 29 in a straight line without danger of the plates 2| becoming skewed in position at any time.

A pair of readily releasable linkage arms 4| is attached a sleeve 43 which are used to connect the metal plate 2| which is ready for removal from a press platen l4 with the topmost metal plate 2| on the stack on the loading elevator I! so that the two plates can be moved simultaneously. The linkage arms 4| include a hollow member 42 to one end of which extends beyond member 42. A second hollow member 44 is adapted to telescope within the sleeve 43 and reciprocate therein. A spring member 45 which is housed within sleeve 43 is rigidly attached at one end to the member 42 and at the other end is provided with a latch 46. A releasing button 4'7 is attached to an intermediate portion of the spring member 45. The releasing button 41 extends through aligned slots 43 in the sleeve 43 and the member 44. The latch 46 is spring actuated to fit into aligned holes 49 in the sleeve 43 and member 44 tov retain the two members in position. When the releasing button 47 is pushed upwardly against the action of the spring member 45, the spring member 46 and'latch 43 are raised out of the holes 49 thereby releasing member 44 to permit reciprocation within the sleeve 43 to the extent of the slots 43. A guide pin 49 extends downwardly from the sleeve 43 at a point opposite from slot 48. Guide pin 49 is adapted to travel in a slot 59 in the member 44. At the extreme ends of each linkage arm 4| are located downwardly extending hook pins 5% and 52 adapted to enter the apertures 24 and 25 in the ears 23 of metal plates 25. A slot 6|, 52' is provided on the inner side of each hook pin adapted to receive the ears 23 of the metal plates when pressure is applied.

In the operation of the apparatus, the platform N5 of the loading elevator ll is first loaded with a sandwich stack of alternately arranged resin-impregnated layers and polished metal plates 2|. The height of the elevator is then adjusted until the top lamination-carrying metal plate 2| is level with one of the platens i4 of the press H]. The hook pins 39 and 49 of the Y-shaped link 36 are engaged with the apertures 24 and 25 in the inner ear 23 of the top metal plate 2|, and the winch cable is retracted until the top lamination-carrying metal plate 2| is drawn from the loading elevator H to a centered position on the platen H; of press E6. The elevator H is then moved until the top laminationcarrying metal plate is on a level with another platen 14 of press It). The process is thus repeated until a lamination-carrying metal plate 224 has been drawn onto each one of the platens The ram l5 of the press it is then lowered or raised and the required heat and pressure is applied until the layers of resin-impregnated paper or fabric are properly fused. As the ram i5 is raised or lowered, the platens |4 assume their normal spacing as shown in the drawings.

The loading elevator E7 is next reloaded with a stack of layers and plates and is then raised until the lamination-carrying metal plate is level with one of the platens M of the press Hi. The unloading elevator 26 is likewise raised to be on a level with the same platen M of the press. The Y-shaped link 36 is engaged with the apertures 24 and 25 in the ear of the metal plateon the platen adjacent to the unloading elevator. The readily released linkage arms 4| are connected between the ears of the metal plate on the platen adjacent to the loading elevator and the inner ears of the top metal plate on the loading elevator. The winch cable is then retracted so that the metal plate on the platen is removed from the platen onto the unloading elevator and simultaneously the top metal plate on the loading elevator is drawn onto the platen in position for the next pressing operation. The Y-shaped links 36 can be readily detached by adjustment of the winch cable. The linkage arms ii are readily released by pressing on the button '37 to remove the latch 126 from the holes 49 and thus release the pressure remaining on the linkage arms and allowing the linkage arms to xtend in length by relative movement of the member as and the sleeve 33. The hook pins 55 and 52 can then be readily removed from the apertures 25 and 25 in the ears 23 of the adjacent metal plates 21.

The elevators are then repositioned so that the top metal plates thereon are each flush with another platen of the press. The Y-shaped links and linkage arms are again attached to the ears of the plates and the platen is simultaneously unloaded and loaded. This process is repeated until all of the laminatiomcarrying plates 2i have been removed from the press It and arranged in a neat stack on the unloading elevator and the platens of the press have been simultaneously reloaded with lamination-carrying plates in proper position for the subsequent pressing operation.

If necessary, separating members may be positioned beneath each metal plate in the stack to prevent the movement of successive plates as the topmost plate is pulled into the press.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for loading and unloading a sandwich stack of material sheets on polished metal plates into and out of a press having a plurality of platens arranged in tiers, comprising a loading elevator on one side of the press receptive to the sandwich stack and operative to successively position the top sheet of the stack on a level with a platen of the press, an unloading elevator on the opposite side of the press operative to be successively positioned to receive the pressed sheets from each platen, winch means positioned on the unloading elevator including a winch cable, a Y-shaped link secured to the end of the winch cable, hook pins on the ends of the arms of the link, a pair of linkage arms, hook pins on the two ends of said linkage arms, said sheet material lamination carrying plates having spaced apertures along opposite edges thereof, the apertures being receptive to said hook pins on said Y-shaped link and said linkage arms, whereby when said Y-shaped link is attached to a carrying plate on a platen of the press and said linkage arms are attached so as to connect the other end of said carrying plate on said platen with an end of a carrying plate on said loading elevator, the platen may be simultaneously unloaded onto the unloading elevator and reloaded from the loading elevator by operation of said winch means.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said linkage arms include a pair of telescoping members adapted to reciprocate with respect to one another a given amount, means for locking said members into fixed relationship, and means for releasing said members from locked position to remove said linkage arms from the metal plates.

3. Apparatus for loading and unloading a press, comprising a loading elevator receiving layers of unworked material in vertical tiers thereon, an unloading elevator opposite said loading elevator receiving layers of worked material in vertical tiers thereon, winch means positioned on said unloading elevator, link means comprising linkage arms adapted to be secured to successive layers of said unworked material and to corresponding layers of said worked material, second link means comprising a Y-shaped link adapted to be secured to successive layers of said worked material and to said winch means, said winch means drawing successive layers of said Worked material onto said second elevator while simultaneously drawing successive sheets of unworked material from said first elevator.

4-. Apparatus for loading and unloading a press formed With a plurality of platens arranged in tiers, comprising a loading elevator located on one side of said press and adapted to receive thereon in successive tiers a stack of material to be Worked, an unloading elevator located opposite said loading elevator and adapted to receive thereon in successive tiers a stack of worked material, means for adjusting said elevators so that the top of each stack of material is in line with the platen of the press being loaded, first link means adapted to be associated with successive tiers of said stack of material to be worked and to the corresponding tiers of said worked stack of material, second link means adapted to be associated with successive tiers of said worked material, and means associated with said second link means and positioned on said unloading elevator for drawing successive tiers of said worked material from said press and simultaneously drawing successive tiers of material to be worked into said press.

LEE F. SAMLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 652,813 Seiberling July 3, 1900 1,020,261 Campbell Mar. 12, 1912 1,414,489 Stiefel May 2, 1922 1,550,907 Lacke Aug. 25, 1925 1,876,171 Rosener Sept. 6, 1932 2,072,667 Coe Mar. 2, 1937 2,126,652 Mueller a Aug. 9, 1938 2,438,896 Bowen et al Apr. 6, 1948 2,497,149 Berdis Feb. 14, 1950 2,524,599 Philp Oct. 3, 1950 2,544,743 Vrabcak Mar. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 433,778 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1935 

